HHH 2012

Another successful Hotter N Hell Hundred!  This year was a good year; much better than last.  Not quite as hot (only about 99 instead of 110 like last year) and a new course that was much better as far as road conditions and chip seal.  We went through the air base and the air force personnel lined the streets and cheered for us as we rode by.  It was so amazing; they had been out there for hours and hours, standing in the heat.  It was a little emotional to see them all so soon after losing Granddad.  Bitter sweet.

I bought a new electrolyte replacement drink at the expo and decided to give it a try on the ride.  I don't know if it was the drink or just a good day, but my legs felt better than they ever have on a 100 mile ride.  I stopped only once at mile 82 for a quick refill of water and was on my way.  It was such a great day.

Another detail making it a great year was the addition of Zach!  Zach rode 100 miles.  Before this day, he rode a total of 3 times.  That's crazy!  Way to go, Zach!  He finished with a smile and even said he could have kept going.  That makes 5 family members that have completed this ride!  How cool!

Rock-n-Roll Chicago Half Marathon

How cool that we just happened to be in Chicago when Rock-n-Roll came through to host the half marathon!!  While the rest of the gang snoozed off our ridiculously huge birthday dinner, Pete and I got up and ran 13.1!  Wow.  Chicago is such an amazing place to do a half marathon!  The course is flat and fast and there are people along the entire route cheering you on.  It was by far one of my favorites so far.  Aside from a 4:30 pit-stop at mile 3, I had an awesome run.  Highly recommend it.



Chicago Muddy Buddy

For the full story of this race you will have to check out my other blog.  We kid-napped Pops for his 60th birthday and took him to Chicago to complete the Chicago Muddy Buddy.  We had such a blast and stayed together as a group, but that did not stop Pops and Nana from taking first place in the masters co-ed team division!  Woot!  It was a 4 mile course with various obstacles along the way.  Most of the mud was at the very end which made it a little easier along the way.  We are the coolest family EVER!

Tour de Goatneck 2012

Another local charity ride, Goatneck is the Cleburne tour.  Danna was in town and she and I rode with Pops.  Pete and Reese rode the tandem and Nana had a great ride, too!  Awesome!

Burleson Honey Tour 2012

Nancy and I at the 2012 Honey Tour.  Texas hosts some really great charity rides and Burleson's is always a blast.  This year the start and finish were at the new high school which gave us an awesome 20 minute downhill to the finish with great traffic control.  It was a great ride!

The TexasMan X50

What a great race!  I really liked this distance.  The training is very manageable, the race is long enough to make getting up at the crack of dawn worth it but short enough that it does not take over your life to train for it.  I will be doing this distance again, for sure!

Dallas Athletes puts on a great race, and they did not disappoint.  The venue was beautiful Lake Ray Roberts (my home stomping grounds!), support was excellent, and the weather cooperated, which is always a huge plus in the spring!

Pete surprised me by showing up unexpectedly.  He was scheduled to teach a class so he was not going to be able to make it, but he got up super early and drove out just to wish me luck.  He was able to see me finish the bike and start the run.  That meant so much to me, thank you, Pete!

A breath-taking Texas sun rise to start the race off right

 1 mile swim

 40 mile bike

 9 mile run

Ahhh...the painfully wonderful post race massage.

I was able to take home 1st in my age group, 5th overall female.  A good day, indeed!

Spring Training

Training in Texas in the spring can be great and it can be a great frustration.  Last spring as I pushed toward my Ironman in May, I struggled on the bike because biking in 30 mph wind really sucks!  It is so hard to gauge how hard you should ride and then it is disheartening to see a low average on your long rides, etc.

This spring the wind is back, but it does not have me as frustrated.  Not being signed up for a $650 race that requires 20 hours a week of your time will help a person lighten up when it comes to working out :)

I can choose to ride on the trainer.  I can choose to ride for a much shorter amount of time.  Or, if I feel like it, I can choose not to ride at all!

As of the last 15 weeks, I have been pretty faithful in sticking to a training program and recently chose a race to celebrate the training.  I will do the X50 at the TexasMan Tri on May 20th.  This will be my first time to do this distance.  It is a 1 mile swim, 40 mile bike and 9 mile run (50 miles, hence X50).  Should be fun!

I have only made it to one of the local charity rides so far this spring.  I was able to ride Lancaster and it was such a great day!  The incredible scenery provided by bluebonnet covered rolling hills more than made up for the howling winds.  We were fortunate to head south first, giving us a tail wind for the last 30 miles back to town.  A strong hour-long run off the bike sealed the deal for a fantastic big Saturday workout.  Love those days!

ominous clouds in the morning gave way to full sun and we had a great ride!